Lay consulation of older people

The study of lay consultation has drawn attention to how social interaction supports, validates and influences the perception and response to health problems. Until now, such research has not considered how the particular circumstances of older people alter the process, i.e. (1) disruption of support networks, (2) experience of chronic rather than acute illness and (3) suffering of diseases shared by a sizable proportion of their agemates. Using case study data, the authors show how everyday discussions of health problems lead to the transmission to the sufferer of new information about the health condition, the reinforcement of health actions and in some cases attempts to persuade or to intervene actively. The authors use the case study material to identify variables shaping the process of consultation and suggest the importance of this process in the adaptation of older people to declining health.